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By any conventional measurement, the 2023 season was a significant step forward for the University of Colorado Boulder football program.
One year after going 1-11 (and losing 10 of those games by at least 23 points), the Buffs quadrupled their win total and were, if nothing else, competitive. They opened the season in style, stunning national runner-up Texas Christian University on the road. They thumped longtime rival Nebraska by 22. They nosed past in-state rival Colorado State University. And they lost by a touchdown or less against University of Southern California, University of Arizona, University of Utah, and Oregon State University—teams that beat them by a combined 136 points the previous season.
Under virtually any other first-year head coach, Colorado would have been lauded for its progress following the disastrous end to Karl Dorrell’s short-lived tenure. Of course, the Buffs don’t have just any coach leading the team.
After being considered an afterthought nationally for the better part of 20 years, Colorado brass hired Deion Sanders in December 2022 and transformed overnight into the most polarizing, breathlessly discussed team in college football. Shows like College GameDay flocked to Boulder. Celebrities like Lil Wayne and Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson graced the Folsom Field sidelines. Sanders earned the rare distinction of receiving two 60 Minutes spots in less than a year. And following a surprising 3-0 start to the 2023 campaign, the Buffs were given a top-20 national ranking. The possibilities seemed endless for Sanders and the Buffs.
Those hopes were quickly dashed, with Colorado losing eight of its final nine games as some of the team’s most pronounced flaws—namely, poor line play—were routinely exposed. For as much excitement as Sanders’ arrival generated, no reasonable person expected the Buffs to be a championship contender or even a bowl-bound team in his first season. But as Coach Prime enters his sophomore season at the helm and his squad makes a splashy move to the Big 12, expectations are shifting again.
For starters, the move to the Big 12 could have immediate short-term benefits for Colorado. After enduring its final season in the Pac-12 (one of the most difficult conferences nationally in 2023), Colorado heads to the Big 12, which has just one team—Utah—ranked in the top 15 of the Associated Press preseason poll.
Another indicator of forward progress for the Buffs? Though this year’s roster has a ton of turnover again (Sanders brought in an astonishing 43 players from the transfer portal in the offseason), several of the Buffs’ most famous and productive players from last season return, namely two-way star Travis Hunter and quarterback Shedeur Sanders.
More than anything else, though, this season could be a referendum on Sanders and his broader coaching philosophy. His puzzling roster construction and poor clock management skills were evident at times in 2023. His pushing former players out of the program was oftentimes excessive and unnecessary. Can a program that relies so overwhelmingly on transfers be a consistent winner?
By the end of the season, the college football world will have a much better idea of whether the Buffs truly are coming, as Sanders so often says, or whether a proud program is the collateral damage of a failed experiment.
5280 Record Prediction: 7-5
Can’t-Miss Matchup
@ University of Nebraska, September 7: Though several ranked teams like Utah, Kansas State University, University of Arizona, and Oklahoma State University appear on Colorado’s schedule, perhaps no contest will be as highly anticipated as the Buffs’ game against the Cornhuskers, their longtime rival. At his previous college coaching stops, Baylor University and Temple University, Nebraska coach Matt Rhule’s teams have improved significantly in their second years under his leadership, offering some hope that the trend continues this year in Lincoln. Though North Dakota State University should present a stiff challenge in the season opener, the matchup versus the Huskers will offer the first evidence as to whether the Buffs will compete better in Sanders’ second season.
Find the Buffs’ schedule here.
3 Players to Watch
Travis Hunter, cornerback/wide receiver: Hunter is a rarity in modern college football, not only because he plays both offense and defense, but because he does so quite well. The former number one overall recruit (and projected first-round pick in the 2025 NFL Draft) played an incredible 1,102 snaps last season (475 on offense, 631 on defense, 32 on special teams), more than any other player in the country despite missing more than three games. The 6-foot-1, 185-pound junior isn’t frail in any way, but whether he can withstand such an immense physical demand again could be one of the most crucial factors working for or against the Buffs in 2024.
Shedeur Sanders, quarterback: The younger of Coach Prime’s two sons on the roster, Sanders quieted many of his doubters last season. He rewrote Colorado’s record book, setting all-time program marks for passing yards in a season (3,230), completion percentage (.693), and touchdown-to-interception ratio (9:1). Like Hunter, his teammate and good friend, Sanders is also widely viewed as a first-round NFL Draft selection next year. For as little protection as he received last season, Sanders will have to become more decisive in the pocket rather than try to extend plays with little chance of success.
Jordan Seaton, offensive lineman: Perhaps the biggest drawback to Sanders’ portal-heavy strategy was a porous offensive line that regularly limited his QB’s effectiveness and routinely put him in harm’s way. Those woes can’t be completely fixed in a single offseason, but if there’s one player on the roster who can improve the line, it’s Seaton. The 6-foot-5, 285-pound Washington, D.C., native was a five-star recruit in the 2024 class and the top-rated offensive tackle nationally. He’s likely to be tasked with protecting Sanders’ blind side, a big ask for a freshman at a position that usually requires college players several years to mature into. Read more about Seaton’s expectations here.
